El Colegio Guide

One of the best waves in Iquique, El Colegio is a powerful right-hander that breaks in shallow waters on a hard rock bottom. It can handle good size, up to 15 feet and bigger, and the bigger, the better. It only starts breaking at six to ten feet.

It is situated between two other waves: the easier and mellow Punta 1 to the left, and Las Urracas, which is almost to the left of Colegio, but Colegio is definitely the best and most difficult wave of the three and requires more skill than the other adjacent waves. On good days and with the right swell, you can surf barreling 12-foot walls for 100 yards before kicking out.

It can get pretty crowded with surfers and bodyboarders with quite some skill, and can get tense when drop-ins happen. When it gets bigger, you may want to wear a helmet just in case. And look out for closeout sets. You have two channels to enter: the left channel through Urracas, or the right channel going between Colegio and Punta 1. On big days, look way out in the direction of the Bestia, on the point of the peninsula with the buildings, to see incoming big sets.